Costa del Sol Towns

Rincon de la Victoria

Rincon de la Victoria is located in the region of Axarquia and integrated into the metropolitan area of Malaga.  The municipality covers an area of 27.5km ², stretching from the Mediterranean coast and the southern foothills of the Montes de Malaga. With a population of 37,145 inhabitants according to the INE census 2008, Rincon de la Victoria is the tenth most populated municipality in the province and the second in the region after Velez-Malaga. 

The population is concentrated in four towns, three coastal and one inner.  Formerly known as Bezmiliana Benagalbon, the origins of the town date back to prehistory, as evidenced by the archaeological sites found. 

The population is concentrated in four towns, three coastal and one inner.  Formerly known as Bezmiliana Benagalbon, the origins of the town date back to prehistory, as evidenced by the archaeological sites found. 

Currently, Rincon de la Victoria is a resort on the Costa del Sol, known for its sea caves and beaches. Because of its proximity to the city of Malaga, it has become a dormitory town, but still retains some of its marine character. Locally, Rincon de la Victoria is called simply the corner. 

Until 1949 the present municipality of Rincon de la Victoria was officially labelled Benagalbon.  The name of the town changed because of the declining importance of this core in favor of Rincon, where the city moved administration. The name originates from the nineteenth century with the establishment of a fishing village on a beach between two rocky promontories.  In that place there was a monastery of the Order of Minims, whose duty was the cult of Our Lady of Victory.  The Benagalbon name, meanwhile, is of Arab origin and comes from the adjective Galb-one, preceded by binary or Bena, which means family or home.

 

Flora and Fauna

Rincon vegetation is highly degraded due to land use for urban areas and to a lesser extent, agricultural, necessitating a longer period for recovery of the ecosystem at the low rate of regeneration.  It has a dry climate and is as warm as the Mediteranean. 

 

Scrub preserved includes the bowlines, broom, thyme and matagallos in the low hills, the Acebuchal, asparagus and hearts of palm at higher altitudes, and in the rocky Jaral are some oak and carob trees, oleander, blackberry, castor, reeds, rushes and sedges in the beds of streams.  Worth noting is the presence of endemism (Limonium malacitanum) on the rocky shore, a protected species and endangered species.  The fauna is represented by the chameleon, owls, larks, hoopoe, blackbirds, and a large and diverse colony of gulls. 

Geography

The municipality of Rincon de la Victoria straddles the southern foothills of the Montes de Malaga, which in this area fals into the sea in low-lying cliffs that alternate with coves and plains along the coast.  It is therefore an abrupt relief in general. The maximum altitude of the municipality reaches 521 meters, although only just over 16% of the total municipal area is above the 200m, which corresponds to the north. 

 

Inside stands the Benagalbon Valley, formed by the stream environment and occupied by the same name and subtropical fruit orchards.  The urbanized area extends almost the entire southern half of the municipality. 

 

It is roughly bounded on the north by the Mediterranean motorway, with the exception of core Benagalbon and other small villages scattered inland and the eastern urban area, which was built north of the highway in the area known as Anoreta.  

The traditional centers are coastal, from west to east: La Cala del Moral; Rincon de la Victoria and Torre Benagalbon; originally established by fishing settlements that have grown gradually to form a single urban area.

Demographics

According to INE data, Rincon de la Victoria in 2008 had a population of 37,145 registered inhabitants, ranking as the tenth most populated municipality in the province of Malaga and the second in the region of Axarquia, second only to Velez-Malaga.

Demographic changes in Rincon de la Victoria from the mid-twentieth century are a case similar to other municipalities of the first crown of the metropolitan area of Malaga, presenting a sharp increase from nineties.

Situation

Corner bounded on the north by the municipalities of Total and Moclinejo, the northeast with the municipality of Macharaviaya; the east by the municipality of Velez-Malaga, on the south by the Mediterranean Sea and the west by the municipality Malaga Clima.  For its geographical location, the corner has a Mediterranean climate, characterized by mild temperatures averaging 18°C and about 2980 hours of sunshine a year. The regime has an average annual rainfall of around 480 l/m².

 
Hydrography

No river itself runs through the municipality of Rincon de la Victoria, although there are 14 streams, of which the most notorious are the Totalan Arroyo, Arroyo and the Arroyo GRANDILLO Benagalbon. The streams generally have steep slopes and torrential character, capable of accommodating large flows. Deforestation of the mountains, also can carry material eroded when it rains.

Gulls fishing on a beach in Rincon de la Victoria

 

Groundwater is scarce due to the lithology of the municipality, which prevents seepage of rain.  There are a number of wells, though not used, because the entire town is supplied with water from the reservoir of La Vinuela.